Precision adjustable dress form



Jan. 26, 1960 CELLA 2,922,555

PRECISION ADJUSTABLE DRESS FORM Filed Oct. 4, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan.26, 1960 L. CELLA PRECISION ADJUSTABLE DRESS FORM 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed001;. 4. 1957 Jan. 26, 1960 2,922,555

PRECISION ADJUSTABLE DRESS FORM Filed Oct. 4, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan.26, 1950 I L, CELLA 2,922,555

PRECISION ADJUSTABLE DRESS FORM Filed 001;. 4, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan26, 1960 1.. CELLA PRECISION ADJUSTABLE DRESS FORM 6 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed Oct. 4, 1957 nun/ W g .Q\ my My Jan. 26, 1960 L. CELLA 2,922,555

PRECISION ADJUSTABLE DRESS FORM Filed Oct. 4, 1957 6 SheetsSheet sPRECISION ADJUSTABLE DRESS FORM Luigi Celia, Newark, NJ.

Application October 4, 1957, Serial No. 688,266

1 (Ilairn. (Cl. 223-68) This invention relates to a precision adjustabledress form, on which may be fitted clothes in the process of making, andis based in part on the new concept that a form should have the linesand contours desired in a dress and not the lines and contours of thehuman figure, which prior forms have had.

One of the features of the invention is that it provides a dress formwhich is adjustable as to all its parts, with precision and certainty,and without need of measurement or guesswork, by amateur orprofessional, and by which a dress fitted thereon will have the same titand appearance when worn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a form which is adjustableover a wide range of sizes, previous forms having very limited sizeranges. A further object is to provide a dress form which is adjustablenot only as to overall dimensions for a given standard size, but whichis adjustable to correspond to the proper dimensions of the separateparts of a garment, as, for example, the waist, neck, shoulder, andseat, so that a garment fitted on it may correspond in all respects toan individuals requirements. The construction herein shown and describedis adjustable, for example, as to higher or lower waist, size of waist,low or high shoulder, larger or smaller seat, and is also adjustable forerect or stooping posture. and for certain irregularities ordeformities, as when one hip is higher than the other. The adjustmentspossible with the construction herein disclosed make one of my formsequivalent to not less than 105 separate dress forms, for 7 sizes, andthe principle of the invention makes possible an even largerequivalency. The resulting economy as to original cost and storage willbe readily appreciated.

A further feature of the invention is that it may be quickly assembledfor any desired size of garment, and as quickly taken apart andcompactly stored for the saving of space, only a minimum of skill beingnecessary.

Previous forms have been defective in that an adjustment was made in onemeasurement without making a necessary adjustment in an associatedmeasurement, thus throwing the seams out of true position. In my form,however, the right measurements, positions and proportions aremaintained for all parts of the garment, as, for example, the waist,bust, seat, shoulders, side seams, etc.

An important feature of this invention is that the form is made toconform to the lines and contour of a garment as worn by a person,whereby a better fit is obtained than with previous dress forms, whichfollow body lines and contours and not dress lines and contours.

This improved form is quickly adjustable with precision and certainty,means being provided so that the parts cannot be connected unless theyare correctly adjusted; in orther words, it is fool-proof.

While the drawings show a dress form adjustable for seven sizes, it maybe made for a wider range, but the seven-size range will enable dressesto be made for girls or women requiring sizes varying from size 8 tosize 20. For example, the bust may be adjusted from 32.5 inches (size 8)to 41.5 inches (size 20). The form shown has adjustments as to waistlength, to provide a range varying from the very short person (about 4feet, inches) Sttes Patent to the tall person (about 6 feet), the waistlength being variable by 2 inches. The form is further adjustable forsway back, i.e., short back and long front. And it is further adjustableto provide a long back and short front, as for a stooping posture.

The form comprises a waist or bodice portion and a skirt or peplumportion adjustably connected to the former, and also a neck portion.

Each portion comprises sections adjustably connected, the sections beingmade of a flexible but somewhat stiff material, as synthetic plastic orcardboard, to constitute a sufiiciently rigid form. Adjacent sectionslap, and are provided with visible indicia so that they may be readilysecured together for any desired size and shape. The sections havetongue and slot connections, the tongues preferably having indiciamarked thereon, as for example, parallel lines marked with sizes, toshow how far into each slot the corresponding tongue is to be put for agiven size. Additionally, sizes may be marked in other parts ofsections, with openings in the overlapping sections so that the sizemarks may 'be seen. Corresponding groups of openings are also formed inthe sections in such manner that there are only two registering holesfor each size, through which a fastener, as of the cotter-pin type, forexample, may be put to secure adjacent sections together.

The bodice and the peplum each comprise, arranged on the right and lefthalves, a pair of back sections, a pair of front sections, a pair ofside-back sections and a pair of side-front sections, the right and lefthalves being symmetrical. The neck consists of three sections.

The drawings illustrate the invention, and in these:

Figs. 1 and 2 show perspectives of a dress form from opposite sides, thelatter in parts broken away;

Fig. 3 (Sheet 3) is a plan view of'one of the front sections of thebodice;

Fig. 4 (Sheet 3) is a view of a side-front section;

Fig. 5 (Sheet 4) shows the sections of Figs. 3 and 4 connected, that is,the front and side-front sections;

Fig. 6 (Sheet 4) shows a side-back section;

Fig. 7 (Sheet 4) shows a back section;

Fig. 8 (Sheet 4) shows the sections of Figs. 6 and 7 connected, that is,the side-back and back sections;

Fig. 9 (Sheet 3) shows the sections of Figs. 5 and 8 connected to makeone-half of the bodice, from mid-front to mid-back, and consisting ofthe front, side-front, sideback and back sections;

Fig. 10 shows how a size is read on one section through an aperture inan overlapping section;

Fig. 11 (Sheet 3) shows the mid-front vertical line, and adjacent partsof the two front sections, the same applying to the corresponding partsof the back of the form;

Fig. 12 (Sheet 3) shows the sections of Figs. 4 and 6 connected, thatis, the side-back and side-front;

Fig. 13 (Sheet 5) shows a front section of the peplum;

Fig. 14 shows a side-front and a side-back of the peplum, the two beingin one piece;

Fig. 15 shows a back section of the'peplum';

Fig. 16 (Sheet 6) shows the sections'of Figs. 13, 14 and 15 connected,being one-half of the peplum from midfront to mid-back;

Figs. 17, 18 and 19 are sections taken respectively on lines 1717,18-18, l9--19 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 20 is a fragmentary View showing the connection of the front andback sections of the bodice at the shoulder;

Fig. 2.1 is a fragmentary view of the mid-front of the peplum, the sameview applying to the corresponding parts of the back of the peplum;

Fig. 22 shows the back of the neck band of the bodice;

Figs. 23 and 24 show the two front halves of the neck,

f Fig. 26 is-a fragmentary view showing a means employed for obtainingproper adjustment of adjacent sections for a selected size; and

Fig; 27 is a fragmentary view of Fig. 26.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description thereof, thenumerals 35 and 36 designate respectively the bodice or waist portionand the skirt portion or peplum of the form, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,bodice and peplum being connected, The peplum is adjustable higher orlower on the waist in several degrees, in accordance with thedesiredwaist length.

The bodice being symmetrical as to right and left halves, from mid-frontto mid-back, and the peplum also,

the sections and their connections need be described for one-half only,with the adjustable connections of the peplurn to the bodice.

The sections ofthe bodice, for the left half, that is, from mid-front tomid-back, are designated as follows: front, A; side-front, B; side-back,C; and back, D. The corresponding sections of the peplum are designatedas: front, E; side-front, F; side-back, G; and back, The pieces of theneck-band are designated by the letters J, K and L.

The views shown for both the bodice and the peplum are those for theleft half, from mid-front to mid-back. Fig. 3 shows front section A andFig. 4 shows side-front section B, in relative position for connection,and these are shown connected in Fig. 5 and also in the right half ofFig. 9. Fig. 6 shows side-back section C and Fig. 7 shows back sectionD, while Fig. 8, and the left half of Fig. 9, show the sections of Figs.7 and 8 connected. Figs. 5 and 8 show the A-B combination and the C-Dcom bination in relative position for connection. Fig. 9 shows Figs. 5and 8 connected, being the left'half of the bodice from mid-front tomid-back. Fig. 11 shows the connection of section A with thecorresponding section A1 at the right of the mid-front, and Fig. 12shows the connection of the side-front B with the side-back C.

Going back to Fig. 3, which shows the left front section A, thissection, in the assembled form, bulges to make a breast contour, asshown in Fig. 2, and, to accomplish this, a dart 40 is formed by makingthe tapered opening 41 and then bringing the adjacent right marginalportion to lap over the adjacent left marginal portion. The dart isshown adjustable for either a small, regular or large waist. For a smallwaist the right edge 43 is brought to coincide with the ray line 44, andlikewise to lines 45 or 46 for regular and large waist respectively.

These ray lines converge to a point 47, it being understood that thesection is slit to that point along the line 43 continued. Groups ofround holes 55 and 56 are formed on the section to the right and leftrespectively of the tapered opening 41 so that fasteners may be passedthru registering holes to secure the lapping parts together, which maybe done by passing fasteners 48 (Fig.2) therethrough, as of the cotterpin type.

To connect front section A (Fig. 3) with side-front section B (Fig. 4),a tongue 51 is formed on section A to fit into slot 53 of section B. Itwill be seen that a series of parallel lines 54 is marked on the tongue51; these may be called size or guide lines and may be individuallymarked or identified by numerals, to show how far the tongue 51 is to beinserted into slot 53, it being understood that the smaller the standardsize, or measurement, wanted, the farther the tongue is inserted andtherefore the greater the amount of lapping of the sections. As seen inFig. 3, square holes 57 are provided above and below the tongue 51. Oneof these, both above and below the tongue, coincides with, for a givensize or measurement, one of the square areas 58 made above and below theslot 53 of section B, Fig. 4. Size numerals may be made -tion D, Fig. 7,a group of round holes 71 is made.

on each of the square areas 58 so that they may be seen through holes 57of section A, to make certain that sections A and B are properlyconnected for a chosen size, as illustrated in Fig. 10. Groups of roundholes 60 are formed in section A, above the tongue, and for any givensize, one of these registers with a round hole of a group 61 formed insection B, to receive a fastener. At the left lower end of section A,round holes 62 are formed, and, for any selected size, one of theseholes registers with a round hole of the group of holes 63 formed in thelower right corner of section B, to receive a fastener connecting thesections, as illustrated in Fig. 10 (Sheet 4). Sections A and B areshown in fitted relation in Fig. 5, and also in the right half of Fig.9.

The side-back section C (Fig. 6) and the back section D of Fig. 7 fittogether adjustably in the same manner as described for sections A andB, and are shown together in Fig. 8. Section C has a slot 67, to receivetongue 68 formed on section D of Fig. 7. The tongue is inserted untilone of the parallel guide lines 70, formed at the base of the tongue,coincides with the edge of the slot, it being understood, as previouslydescribed, that a numeral may be put alongside each line to indicatesize or proper relation of the sections. Above the slot 67, a group ofround holes 69 are provided, and in sec- For any given size, one of theholes 69 in section C registers with one of the holes 71 in section D,to receive a fastener. Similar groups 72 and 73 are formed at the lowerends of these sections respectively and a fastener put through theregistering holes. Square areas 76 are marked on section C above andbelow slot 67, and square holes 78 are formed in section D above andbelow tongue 68. For a given size, one of the square holes 78 of theupper group coincides with one of the square areas 76 of the uppersquares, and similarly as to the lower groups. Each of the square areasmay be marked with numerals indicating size, it being understood thatsection B overlaps section C. A shoulder blade dart is provided insection D, an approximately triangular cut 81 being made and a slitprovided to a point 83 in the material, in line with the edge adjacentthe left of the cut 81. Ray lines 85 are drawn on section B, from point83 to the lower edge. The left edge of the material, adjacent the cut81, is pulled over, to coincide with one of the ray lines, toselectively provide for a small, regular or large waist size. Roundholes 88 and 89 are formed respectively in sections D and C, and for anyone of the sizes there will be only one pair of registering holes toreceive a fastener.

The sections of Figs. 5 and 8 are connected, as shown in Fig. 9, whichshows one-half of the bodice from midfront to mid-back, and comprisesfront section A, sidefront section B, side-back section C, andbacksection D. In connecting Figs. 5 and 8, the tongue 91 of section B, isput into slot 92 of section C (Fig. 6) to the extent indicated by theproper numeral on two squares of the groups of squares 95 and 96 shownin Fig. 6, as seen through the square apertures 97 and 98, which arerespectively above and below the tongue 91 in Fig. 4. Round holes 99,100, and 101, of Fig. 4, will be respectively over the lines of holes102, 103, and 104, of Fig. 6, and only one aperture of each of thegroups 99, 100, and 101, will register, for a given size, respectively,with a hole in the groups 102, 103, and 194, to receive a fastener.

Front section A and back section D are connected at the shoulder, asshown in Fig. 20 (Sheet 6). For this purpose section D has at its upperend a tongue 107, (Figs. 7, 8 and 9), which fits into slot 109 (Figs. 3and 5) at the top of front section A. To get the desired relation ofthese sections, the tongue is inserted until the square holes 112, tothe sides thereof (Fig. 9) are each directly over one of the squareholes in the two series 113' of square areas shown at the upper end ofsection A in Fig. 3. Two series of round holes 115 (Fig. 3), at theouter sides of the square areas 113, are provided so that round holes117 (Figs. 7, 8 and 9) each register with a hole 115, so that a fastenermay be used to connect the sections.

The mentioned shoulder adjustment is important in order to provide forsquare shoulders, for sloping shoulders, and for one shoulder high orlow.

Figs. 13-19 and Fig. 21, as well as Fig. 1 and 2, show the constructionof the peplum. Figs. 13-15 show three sections of the peplum separately,while Fig. 16 shows them connected, to constitute one-half of the entirepeplum, that is, from mid-front to mid-back, on the left side, the righthalf being of the same construction. Section E (Fig. 13), being a frontsection of the peplum, has a dart 110 at its upper portion to adjust forwaist measurement, an oblique cut being made on the line 111, and radialor ray size lines 112 marked from the lower end of line 111 to the upperedge, so that the portion of the section to the right of line 111 may bepulled over onto that one of lines 112, which is proper for a small,regular or large waist measurement. Groups of round holes 114 and 115are provided so that the parts of the dart may be held together by afastener through registering holes.

In connecting section E to section F, a tongue 117 on section B (Fig.13) fits into slot 118 of section F until the square openings 119 ofsection B coincide with the proper square areas 120, marked on sectionF, for various sizes, as previously explained relative to bodicesections. Round holes 121 formed in section B above and below tongue 117will be over the linear groups of round holes 123 formed in section Fadjacent the mentioned square areas 120, to receive fasteners.

Sections F and G, which are respectively side-front and side-backsections of the peplum, are shown in one piece, the combination having adart 125 formed similarly to the described dart 110 of section B, therebeing an oblique slit along line 126, radial size lines 127, and groupsof holes 128 and 129 to receive a fastener. Hole 131 in the upper leftcorner of section E will be in line with the linear series of holes 133of section F, to connect the sections by a fastener. Back section H(Fig. 15) connects to section G, the side-back section. Tongue 137 ofsection H fits into slot 138 of section G, and is pushed into it untilsquare holes 140 of section H coincide with the proper square area ofthe group of areas 141 of section G. Round holes 143 of section H willlie on the line of holes 145 of section G so that a fastener may beplaced through registering holes. A dart 150 is formed in section H, thematerial being slit along line 151. Ray lines 153 are provided for thepurpose mentioned and two series of holes 155 and 156 are made toreceive a fastener. The slot, square areas, and round holes, whichappear adjacent the left edge of section H (Fig. 15), are for connectionof this section to the back section of the other half of the peplum.

The peplum is adjustably secured to the bodice, up or down, to providefor different waist lengths, by tab 160 of section E and tab 161 ofsection H, which are provided respectively with a series of round holes160A and 161A, thetab 160 being inserted into the proper size slot ofthe series of slots 165 formed at the lower right portion of section A(Fig. 3) and fastened through hole 166 of section A, and the tab 161being inserted into the proper slot of the series of slots 167 formed atthe lower left portion of the back section D (Fig. 7) and fastenedthrough hole 175 of section D. In section E (Fig. 13), at the upperedge, there is a semicircular tab 180, with an aperture 181. This tabenters one of the slots of the group of slots 182 of section C (Fig. 6)at the lower right portion, and also enters one of the slots in thegroup of slots 183 of section B (Fig. 4), which groups of slotsregister. A fastener through hole 181 of tab 180 also passes through twoof the registering slots.

In Figs. 22-25, I show the construction of a neck band, which is mountedon the bodice. Fig. 22 shows the back section I of the neck band; Fig.23 shows section K which is to be secured to section I on the left partthereof; Fig. 24 shows section L, which is to be attached to the rightpart of the Fig. 22; and Fig. 25 shows sections J, K and L connected.Section I is symmetrical on each side'of its center line. Section L hasa tongue 175, which is inserted into slot 177 of the right half ofsection I until the shoulder 178 is on the desired size or guide ine ofthe group 179 of parallel lines marked on the right half of section I. Afastener is then inserted through registering holes, which will be oneof the group 181 of section L and one of the group 182 of the right halfof section I. Section K is secured to the left half of section I in thesame manner, corresponding parts of sections K and L bearing the samenumbers, and the right and left halves of section I bearing the samenumbers. The left and right halves of section I have apertured tabs 185,which are secured respectively to the upper ends of the back sections ofthe bodice, the left back section being section D (Fig. 7), the righttab 185, as shown in Fig. 25, fitting into the notch 186 (Figs. 7 and 8)of the back section D. Sections K and L have apertured tabs 187, whichare secured respectively to front sections A and A1 (Figs. 1 and 2), atthe upper ends thereof, the tab of section L fitting into notch 190 offront section A, at the upper end portion thereof (Figs. 3 and 5). Theends of the assembled neck band (Fig. 25) are secured together and thesize marks may be seen through the square holes 192.

Figs. 26 and 27 illustrate the matching of square holes through whichthe size may read, and the matching of round holes to receive fasteners,as previously explained for connected sections.

What is claimed is:

A three-dimensional dress form comprising a bodice, a peplum connectedto the lower margin of the bodice, the latter comprising a pair ofadjacent front sections, a pair of adjacent back sections, a pair ofadjacent side-back sections and a pair of side-front sections and thepeplum comprising a pair each of front, side and back sections, adjacentsections of the bodice and peplum slidably overlapping, means fordetachably connecting together the sections of the bodice and peplum,certain of said sections having straight slots and adjacent sectionscomprising tongues slidably fitting into said slots, said tongues havingeach a series of transverse straight lines thereon adapted to coincidewith an edge of a slot, certain of said sections having size numeralsthereon and adjacent sections having openings adapted to overlie thesize numerals to render the latter visible, said sections having aplurality of holes arranged in a cluster of which only one hole of eachsection coincides with only one hole of an adjacent section for a givensize as indicated by the transverse lines on the tongues and by saidnumerals, and means adapted to be releasably inserted through saidcoinciding holes to hold the sections in an adjusted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS187,826 Deutsch Feb. 27, 1877 579,491 Meas Mar. 23, 1897 1,416,405Gurney May 16, 1922 1,715,201 Levin May 28, 1929 2,205,626 Mason June25, 1940 2,289,858 Angrave July 14, 1942 2,384,330 Muggy et a1 Sept. 4,1945 2,479,140 Shafarman Aug. 16, 1949 2,481,561 Beall Sept. 13, 19492,605,029 Cella July 29, 1952 2,724,532 Baldwin NOV. 22, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS 205,571 France Mar. 9, 1890

